John Huston’s 1941 film, The Maltese Falcon, is an amazing film. It had a great cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet, and Peter Lore. Like many films, it was first a novel. Written by Dashiell Hammett, the novel is not only a great detective story but it’s very well written. To John Huston’s credit, it’s like he turned the camera onto the pages of the book and out came a classic.
I picked up a copy at one of my favorite independent bookstores. It was a tithe purchase – a purchase I will make in order to help ensure the their doors stay open.
The novel unfolds like the film with the reader becoming a shadow in Sam Spade’s efforts to uncover the mystery of the Maltese Falcon and identify the killers of his partner, Miles Archer. It’s a tale of greed, betrayal and deception.
One change that Huston made was casting Bogart. Bogart had dark brown hair and, surprisingly, Sam Spade was a blonde. It might be the power of the film but I think Huston made a good choice.
Hammett’s Maltese Falcon set a standard for detective fiction. I highly recommend it.
